Benjamin F. Peery
Benjamin Franklin Peery Jr. (March 4, 1922 – November 30, 2010) was an American physicist and astronomer who taught for many years at Indiana University and Howard University. He was the second African American to earn a doctorate in astronomy and later led important programs in education and research.
Early life and education
Peery was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, the oldest of seven brothers. His father worked as a railway mail clerk and his mother was a teacher. The family moved several times, ending up in Minnesota, where Peery finished high school in Minneapolis. Before college, he worked as a draftsman.
He served in the Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1945, taking part in campaigns in Italy and North Africa. After his military service, he used the GI Bill to finish college. He earned a physics bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota in 1949 and then taught for two years at North Carolina A&T State University.
Peery earned a master’s degree in physics from Fisk University in 1955, with a thesis on infrared spectrum and structure. He then pursued a PhD in astronomy at the University of Michigan, which he completed in 1962. His dissertation was The System VV Cephei, supervised by Dean Benjamin McLaughlin. During his time at Michigan, he studied with notable colleagues and received a University Fellowship.
Academic career and research
Peery began teaching at Indiana University in 1959 and became an assistant professor of astronomy in 1962. He was promoted to associate professor in 1968 and to full professor in 1973. While at Indiana, he helped add a 16-inch telescope to the Goethe Link Observatory and worked with science education programs for teachers. He spent a sabbatical year (1975–1976) at Kitt Peak National Observatory.
In 1977, Peery moved to Howard University to start an astrophysics graduate program and served as chair of the physics and astrophysics departments. At that time, he was one of only a few Black professional astronomers in the United States. He also served as a program director for the National Science Foundation’s astronomy division for two years.
Peery’s research covered several areas. Early on, he helped develop one of the first oscilloscope-based measurement devices, sometimes called “the Peeryscope.” His work ranged from cool giant stars to the chemical makeup of stars, including studies of technetium in stellar spectra. Later research focused on stellar structure, evolution, nucleosynthesis, and the physics of interacting binary stars. He conducted research at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile and was a visiting professor at Harvard University, Caltech, and the College of William and Mary.
Legacy and personal life
Peery retired from Howard University in 1992, becoming an emeritus professor. He remained active in the academic community and was a longtime member of several professional organizations, including the International Astronomical Union, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the American Astronomical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also served as a trustee of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.
Indiana University honors his legacy with the Benjamin F. Peery Jr. Diversity Award, a graduate scholarship.
Peery was married to Darnelle Macklin Peery, a special education teacher. They had one daughter, Yvany Peery, who became a psychotherapist. Benjamin F. Peery Jr. passed away on November 30, 2010, leaving a lasting impact on astronomy and science education.
This page was last edited on 29 January 2026, at 06:19 (CET).